China Report: The Risks and Opportunities of Stranded Assets

China

Publications

China’s existing accounting system fails to effectively evaluate environmental costs, leading to them being interested in investment, commercial and policy decision-making. This paper sets out the case for creating a public non-profit environmental cost analysis system, to give access to environmental data and methodologies, and reduce the cost and information barriers to evaluating the true environmental cost of investment

Despite the considerable headway made in the promotion of green credit by the government of China, efforts for building a green finance system remain fragmented and conceptual. This paper develops a theoretical framework for green finance. A ‘green finance system’ refers to a series of policies, institutional arrangements and related infrastructure building that, through loans, private equity,

This reports rovides an overview of the green bonds theme, innovative structures in the international market and potential application in China. A key message is that green finance, in addition to providing a green benefit, can assist in implementing and enforcing financial reforms that address imbalances in China’s financial system. Another message is that providing

This paper set out the case for financial institutes and associations in China to establish a green investor network, to monitor investees’ performance of their environmental obligations, foster green investment capabilities, and hold educational programs. Internationally, green investor networks such as the UNEP Finance Initiative and the UN Principles for Responsible Investment have played a

The Green Finance Taskforce was convened in 2014 by the People’s Bank of China and the UNEP Inquiry. The Taskforce brought together leading Chinese experts on financial markets, policy and regulation from government, academia and from the private sector together with international experts and practitioners. One of the inputs to the deliberations of the Taskforce

Financial institutions today are unable to measure their exposure to climate change. There are equally no approaches to inform on the alignment of their investment strategies with national or international environmental goals. This report outlines international developments in measuring and managing climate related risk in instituional investment and banking. It outlines implications for regulators in

The rapid and continuous increase of environmental incidents in China in recent years has led to severe impacts on its sustainable social and economic development and public health. This paper sets out the case for green insurance as a market-based risk management mechanism which could play a proactive role in preventing and transferring environmental pollution risks and

In the event of a project causing environmental damage, in many countries its commercial lenders can also face legal liabilities. This forces lenders to take environmental impact into consideration in making investment and financing decisions. This paper makes the case for establishing environmental legal liabilities for commercial banks in China and highlights steps to take to implement this: Revise

This paper reviews the statistics on investment in fixed assets of key green sectors in China to date and estimates the demand for green finance over the next five years, from 2015 to 2020. It estimates over 3 per cent of GDP—RMB 1,642 billion (USD 260 billion)—was invested into core green industry and infrastructure sectors in 2012.

This paper makes the case that compulsory disclosure of environmental information by listed companies and bond issuers is an effective measure to increase the sense of corporate social responsibility, improve corporate environmental performance, incentivize investors to refrain from polluting investments and strengthening green investments. It recommends: CSRC and stock exchanges formulate rules on compulsory environmental

Community

China's central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC), has co-convened with the Inquiry a Green Finance Task Force involving dozens of officials and market actors to draw up proposals for a green financial system. The Inquiry has also worked with the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Development Research Centre of the State Council in research workshops and a study tour to bring Chinese and international experts together.

In the face of urgent environmental challenges, policy and regulatory weaknesses in the real economy and longer term economic opportunities, China has seen the potential for embedding environmental considerations in its financial market development. Initial developments focused on improving the environmental impact of bank lending through the Green Credit Guidelines of the China Banking Regulatory Commission. In 2014 The People’s Bank of China established a Green Finance Task Force co-convened with the Inquiry, to develop recommendations for a comprehensive program of reforms to enhance market information, strengthen legal frameworks, strengthen fiscal incentives and institutional design. Some of these proposals are now being further developed under an expanded Green Finance Committee.